Born of the Ashes
by wonderwomanlovesyou221
Summary: When Dumbledore made the Order, he used an ancient and mysterious magic: the magic of the Pheonix. Imbibing Fawkes' magic into the group, he cast a spell for the safety of his beloved friends. When a member of the Order died, they would have a second chance. If they were murdered by a Death Eater, once that Death Eater was dead, they would return, at their prime age.
1. A Surprise

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and not even all of that. Credit for the characters, places, etc. go to J.K. Rowling. Credit for the original idea goes to Bandgeek252, in addition to great thanks for being my steadfast bulwart and beta!_

**Chapter 1 - ****_A Surprise_**

"What the bloody hell are we doing here?"

"Ronald, I'm sure there's an excellent reas-"

"No, Hermione, I'm with Ron on this one. I just want to stuff my face with food and then get two days worth of bloody sleep!"

"Harry!" Hermione scolded her raven-haired best friend.

"What? Aren't you tired?" replied Harry irritably.

"Of course I am! But I know that Minerva wouldn't make us come in here if it weren't something important."

"I swear, if she and Dumbledore aren't in here in the next two minutes, I'm going to-" Harry was interrupted as Professor McGonagall entered the office.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I don't think we'll be needing to worry about what you intend to do. Professor Dumbledore and I are here, and we apologize both for making you wait and for forcing you to spend your time here instead of recuperating."

"What do you need, Professor?" asked Hermione.

"Professor Dumbledore has something of which he wishes to inform you," stated Professor McGonagall as Dumbledore walked into his portrait.

"Thank you, Minerva. I'm very sorry to have kept you three from getting any rest, but this is news I believe you would all wish to know."

"Yes, Professor?"

"There is a reason I named the Order of the Pheonix what I did, and why it took so long to fully form the Order. I utilized the help of Fawkes, and with him, I was able to create a spell that gave an, I suppose you could say, insurance policy for the members of the Order, that when those who killed that member died themselves, the member would return, in the way they were most comfortable - the way they were in their afterlife. Now, as the Ministry has decided to execute any remaining Death Eaters due to the lack of dementors at Askaban, many people have returned to us."

The trio had previously felt mixed emotions toward the actions being taken by the Ministry, but they had, overall, accepted it.

"Professor-"

"Miss Granger, I know this seems impossible, even for a place of magic and whimsicality. I assumed you would all be skeptical, I know I would be, and so I brought a bit of welcome proof."

All three looked up as three dearly loved and greatly missed people entered - two with very different faces.

"Wotcher, Harry."

"Tonks!" "Remus!" "Sirius!"

"Oi, you lot, stop that!" laughed Sirius. He was younger than any of the trio remembered, and stood taller without the weight of Askaban on this new body.

"How did you-"

"Oh, Albus, I thought you had told them." Remus said from his young face.

"Yes, Remus, I did, I believe it was more an exclamation of surprise."

"Ah. Well, you know what happened, no use telling you again. On the bright side, we're all back, and you're all okay!" shouted Sirius.

"You'll have to tell us everything that happened while we were out - one second I'm falling into the veil, the next I'm here and Minnie's telling me all about this Pheonix business."

Professor McGonagall's reprimand to Sirius was completely ignored as Harry ran to embrace his godfather and Hermione hugged Remus and Tonks with Ron.

Hermione's head suddenly snapped out of Remus' collar. "Professor?"

"Yes?" answered Dumbledore.

"Why haven't you returned?"

"I'm afraid I was not actually killed by a Death Eater. If that were the situation, when Severus passed, it would have meant that I would have returned. Alas, it is not the case. I am confined to this side of the veil, but I do believe it was about time. I lived a full and fruitful life - and the happiness of all you is the greatest comfort for an old dotard like me." Dumbledore's eyes danced with their classic twinkle and he smiled.

"I still wish you could come back, Professor."

"Thank you, Miss Granger, but I must maintain that this is, in fact, for the better. Now, I believe there will be many people returning each minute as a result of each execution. And, there are quite a few upstairs who have come back due to Harry's vanquishing of Tom." Dumbledore looked meaningfully at Harry with his last sentence.

"Professor, do you mean-"

"Yes, Harry. They are quite anxious to see you, as well."

Harry lead the full group in their quick sprint into the upper levels of Dumbledore's quarters and went into the first room they found, which seemed to be some sort of large sitting room, lined with even more books, all different from the ones he housed in his library of an office. On the loveseat, James Potter sprawled out and sitting next to each other on the sofa sat Lily and Severus, talking quite intensely. Other people peppered the room, some the children knew, some they didn't. As the trio entered, those in the room looked up, just in time to see two of the Marauders and an metamorphagus follow in.

"Mum? Dad?" asked Harry softly, looking between his parents.

"Harry," breathed Lily as she and James both stood up.

Harry ran quickly to his parents and embraced them both. As the family hugged, it would be safe to say there wasn't a pair of dry eyes in the room.

As Harry pulled back and said, "Mum, Dad, I'd like you to meet my two best friends. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

"Pleased to meet you," said Lily with a sweet smile. Her emerald eyes, so identical to her son's, sparkled with unshed tears as she saw her own son's Marauders.

"Thank you, both of you, for taking care of Harry all these years. Especially you, Hermione. We, unlike some of the others, were gone long enough to see you all. You were definitely the one that kept these boys from harm. Thank you so much."

"My pleasure, Mr. Potter."

"Oh, please. I'm only, what, three and a half years older than you? Call me James. You as well, Ron."

"Now, I need to talk to dear old Padfoot and Moony here! How long's it been?"

"Too long, Prongs," answered Remus.

"Much too long," echoed Sirius. "Get over here, Prongsie." The room watched as the three men embraced - in a very manly way, of course. Lily ran over and joined them, squishing her petite frame between Remus and Sirius.

"Ah, and how's our darling Lilypad?" exclaimed Sirius, breaking the hug.

"Ready as ever to hex you for using that name, Padfoot," laughed Lily in response.

"Lily, we missed you so much," said Remus as he went to hug her again. She responded just as wholeheartedly. Tonks went running over to Sirius and hugged him, interrupting his joke to James.

"Oi, I've missed you too, you loony," Sirius barked out as James laughed.

Lily and Remus were talking with Ron while Hermione and Harry laughed with Tonks, when Sirius suddenly whacked James on the back of the head. "Prongs! You can't make googly eyes at your son's best mate! You're a married man, God save you!"

"Actually, Lily and I aren't married anymore," said James, right as the room quieted for a moment.

"What?" asked at least seven different people, including Harry, Sirius, and Remus.

"Well, when we were… out, so you phrased it, we realized that we weren't exactly meant to spend eternity together. We separated," explained Lily. "I'll always love him, but not in that way." James and Lily smiled amiably at each other.

"How long?" asked Harry quietly.

"Since, oh, about your third year?" said Lily, looking at James for confirmation.

"Yeah," said James, "I think so."

"Oh," said Harry, a little stunned.

"Oh, Harry," said Lily. "We're sorry we didn't tell you right away, but we didn't know how to say it."

"Merlin's pants!" Ron suddenly exclaimed.

"What, Ron?" asked Hermione.

"Fred!" he shouted, before running downstairs. Everyone followed him, with Harry and Hermione being closest behind.

_AN: Wow! First chapter! I believe we should lay some ground rules down. I am going to update this once a week every week I am able to, and I'll give you a heads up if I will miss a week or two. I will NOT abandon this story. And heads up: Be prepared for surprises. Love, wwwly221_


	2. The Best Day of Molly Weasley's Life

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and not even all of that. Credit for the characters, places, etc. go to J.K. Rowling. Credit for the original idea goes to Bandgeek252, in addition to great thanks for being my steadfast bulwart and beta!_

**Chapter 2 - **_**The Best Day of Molly Weasley's Life**_

"_Fred!" he shouted, before running downstairs. Everyone followed him, with Harry and Hermione being closest behind._

Ron burst into the Great Hall. He found himself in a room of suffering, and the change of atmosphere from the previous room was shocking. He ran quickly over to his family, who were still huddled around his brother's lifeless body. "Mum! Dad!" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked up at their youngest son with faces showing a night of pain and sorrow. "Was- was Fred-"

"Ron, sweetheart, breathe," said Molly.

"Was he- a member of the Order?" Ron gasped. His parents looked bewildered on top of their now chronic expression of hurt. "Officially?"

"Yes, Ron, but-"

"Oh, thank Merlin."

"Ron-"

"No, Mum, you don't understand. He's not gone. Not really."

"Ron, what do you-"

"Rookwood goes right after… Avery, who goes after Mulciber, who goes after… Lestrange! He was the one who killed Remus and Tonks, right?"

"Yes, Ron-"

"Oh, great goblins, it'll be any minute now!"

"_Ronald Bilius Weasley!"_ shouted Mrs. Weasley. "_Explain yourself this moment!_"

"Mum, Fred is coming back," said Ron. George stood up, furious.

"Ron, this isn't something to joke about. I can feel it- he's gone! They took him, and he's never coming back…"

"No, George. He's a member of the Order - Dumbledore made it so that if a member were killed by the actions of a Death Eater, once that Death Eater dies, the member will come back! Remus, Tonks, Sirius, and even Harry's mum and dad are back, and Fred will be joining them soon!"

"Ron-" Hermione and Harry ran in.

"No, Dad," said Ron. "I promise."

At that moment, Ginny gasped loudly.

"Oi, all of you! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, standing around me?"

"Freddie!" George jumped and ran over to his twin, hugging him.

"Geroff, George!"

"Never! I'm never leaving your side again!"

"The hell you're not! I'm not having you follow me when I go to take a piss."

"Oh, shut up, you prat!" George pulled his brother even closer.

"Oh my," breathed Molly.

"I know, Mum. Isn't it wonderful?" Ginny turned to her mother.

Molly turned slowly to Mr. Weasley. "Arthur, you don't think…?"

"Well, Molly, if anyone could do it, it'd be Dumbledore."

"But, Arthur, do you think, maybe, they'd-"

"Hey, sis!" Two men of slightly different ages, but remarkably similar features appeared and spoke in unison.

Molly passed out.

"Oh, bugger, that wasn't supposed to happen. Blimey, would've thought she would have mellowed out a bit over the years." Twin One turned to his brother.

"You'd think, but Molly always wound tighter than a spring. Anyways, hello, Arthur! Haven't seen you in, what, almost 20 years?"

"Sweet Circe, is it really you two?"

"You know it, Arthur. And I have to say, you got old, good man."

Arthur laughed hollowly. "I suppose I did."

"Now, let's see if we can rouse our dear sister."

As the two brothers knelt down to their little sister, the Weasley clan looked to their father with questioning eyes. "Dad? Who are-" Ron began.

"Oh, hello!" said Twin Two, the older brother. "We're your mum's brothers - Fabian and Gideon Prewett. We were in the original Order. I'm Fabian. Gideon was lost, what, 4 years before I was. It was awful - you know the feeling, right, George?"

George apparently thought it was a good time to do an impression of a fish - his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, and he was still hanging on Fred like a disease.

"Molly... wake up! Damn her, she always slept so soundly... maybe... _Ennervate_..."

Molly woke up with a gasp.

"What on earth-"

"I'm fairly sure our little nephew Ronnie explained it to you, sissy. Pheonix, came back, good as new. At our prime, in fact. Or whenever we felt our prime was... hmm, we'll have to ask old Albie about that one, eh, Fab?"

"Oi!" exclaimed Molly. "Sister, grieving for the past 20 years?" She pulled them both into a ferocious hug.

"Careful, there, Molls - y'might hurt your dear brothers," teased Fabian.

"Oh, shut it, the two of you!" exclaimed Molly into Gideon's shoulder.

Hermione smiled at Harry with a quivering bottom lip and wet eyelashes before running over to enclasp her twins in a hug.

"Hermione!" Fred laughed. "Never thought you were into twins, but I think Georgie and I can work something out..."

"Never thought you to be a fan of PDA, either, but..." continued George.

Hermione laughed and hit them each in turn with her shoulder.

"You two are ridiculous!" she laughed out. "Merlin, Fred, you were just dead a minute ago! You don't think you could rein it in for five minutes?"

"Never," spoke the twins.

Hermione shook her head with a small smile lighting her face. She crossed her arms and turned her attention to Harry.

"Harry? Are you okay?" she asked tentatively.

"I've never been better, Hermione. Everyone I loved and lost is back, and they all have full and happy lives ahead of them," responded Harry earnestly.

"Good. Now, I recall you saying something about being hungry?"

"Starving, actually."

"Kitchens?" Harry nodded. "Race you!"

The two took off in the direction of the kitchens.

Upstairs, Remus and Lily were catching up.

"Damn, and you were such a great professor, Moony!" said Lily.

"I was okay. It was hard toning down the Maurauder spirit enough to be respected as a teacher, I'll tell you that. Every time a student was caught for pranking, I wanted to give them a high-five and tips on how to do it better next time." Remus laughed.

"I can just imagine," Lily laughed in return. "'Now, next time, put some Itching Powder right on the edge of it, and...'"

James and Sirius looked over at the two of them laughing. They were having their own gushing session.

"You know," said James. "I always thought that if it weren't for the Maurauders' Code, Moony might have gone after Lily."

"You too? I was always curious what would happen, they got on so well."

"Maybe they'll..." began James.

"Yeah!" responded Sirius, knowing what James was going to say.

"Oh, I _have_ missed you quite a bit, you mangy mutt."

"Oi!" laughed Sirius. "Ah, mate, I missed you too."

The two men continued their discussion, unknowing that Minerva was making her way down to the kitchens to talk to Hermione at that moment.

"Miss Granger?" called the Headmistress as she walked into the kitchens.

"Yes, Professor?" answered Hermione.

"I believe we have one more conversation to get out of the way: the completion of your education."


	3. Hard Work

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and not even all of that. Credit for the characters, places, etc. go to J.K. Rowling. Credit for the original idea goes to Bandgeek252, in addition to great thanks for being my steadfast bulwart and beta!_

**Chapter 3 - **_**Hard Work**_

"_Miss Granger?" called the Headmistress as she walked into the kitchens._

"_Yes, Professor?" answered Hermione._

"_I believe we have one more conversation to get out of the way: the completion of your education."_

"What precisely is there to discuss?" asked Hermione.

"Now, you must understand that this opportunity will not be extended to other students," began McGonagall. "It is only in your case that this is an option."

"Yes?" said Hermione.

"I have been informed of the situation with your parents." Hermione's expression saddened at the Headmistress' words. "And, due to your extraordinary academic performance, Albus and I have decided that you will be permitted to take your NEWTs and, passing with acceptable marks for a witch your level, you will be excused from the last year of Hogwarts to go find and spend time with your parents. You will still graduate, I assure you, and most likely at the top of your class."

"Professor... I don't know what to say," stammered Hermione. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Of course, Miss Granger. And I would be more than happy to assist you in preparing for the exams."

Hermione smiled with teary eyes. "I... don't think that will be necessary, Professor. A while before we were on the run, I bought all the suggested seventh year books, from the curriculums of both Hogwarts and Beauxbatons. While we were going, I studied. I think I am reasonably prepared for these tests."

"I expected no less, Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall with distinct pride in her expression and voice for her House's shining academic jewel. "When would you like me to schedule the exams?"

"Umm, two weeks? I'll pack and revise during that time." Hermione thought through all she had to do in the time, and decided that it would be an acceptable window to get all she needed done in that time.

"That will be fine," replied McGonagall, walking out of the room. "And, Hermione?" The bushy-haired girl looked up. "Good luck."

Minerva muttered to herself as she began the trek back to the area where many of the Returners had been congregating.

"All this work... didn't sign up... damn you, Albus...new professors...even qualified...how to explain to the students! Ha!"

"Careful, Headmistress," said a portrait of an elderly man writing on a scroll of parchment with an ancient-looking quill. "People might hear you and theorize you've, as the children say, 'lost your marbles.'"

Everyone was still talking when Minerva reentered the room of previously deceased friends. More people were appearing by the minute, due to the fact that people generally came immediately to where their closest friends were. _I'll have to move them all to a larger room,_ thought McGonagall.

"Remus, Lily, and Severus?" she asked.

All three heads shot up.

"If you would come with me, please," the Headmistress asked, reminding the trio of their Hogwarts days, and making them feel as if they were to be scolded for wrongdoing.

McGonagall lead them into the Head's office and had them sit down across the desk from her. "Thank you for coming. You see, I have found myself with a problem. I have spoken to Albus about it, and he believes that you three are the answer."

"What do you need, Minerva?" asked Remus.

"I need three professors. Professor Flitwick is retiring, we have no one for Defense Against the Dark Arts once again, and Professor Slughorn has decided to retire again."

"You-" stammered Lily. "You want _us_ as your professors?"

"You are all quite qualified. Lily, you are one of the best Charms students to ever grace the halls of Hogwarts. Remus, you were the best Defense teacher we've had, and Severus, you, despite displaying extreme amounts of favoritism, were an excellent Potionsmaster. May I ask you three to take these positions in the upcoming school year?"

"I'm in," said Remus.

"Me too," said Lily with a bright smile.

"I will be glad to resume my post, Minerva," said Severus.

"Well, thank goodness. One more thing out of the way." Minerva sighed as she thought of everything that needed to be done before September 1st.

"Alright, Miss Granger. You will have one hour to complete the written Charms assessment." The proctor's steady tone did nothing to alleviate Hermione's nerves. Logically, she knew that she had studied hard and well for all her exams, but there was a nagging worry in the back of her mind that she would forget everything and do worse than a first year.

She broke the seal on the magazine-looking booklet and began reading the questions. The first few pages were basic things from first and second year, but Hermione knew the test increased in difficulty the further you got into it, and though she was through the first 10 or so of the 52 questions with ease, she still had to force her bravery and continue the test.

She didn't have any difficulty deciding the answers to the questions until she came upon a piece of insignificant information that she hadn't really thought would be on the test. She skipped it, and finished the rest of the multiple choice before coming back and reasoning out which answer was the most probable, according to theory. She then began writing out her main points to hit for her essay portion.

"Twenty minutes, Miss Granger," said the proctor.

She decided that she was sound enough on the points she wanted to hit and how she wanted to express them and began writing an essay on how basic charms theory carried over into advanced charms and how she would go about creating a new spell using only material covered in her first three years of Charms.

She put her quill down just as the proctor called "Time," and she exhaled deeply. She had done it, and she felt as if she had done reasonably well. Now, onto her practical. She ran over enchantments and incantations in her head as she drank some cool water and ate a few almonds for protein in her ten-minute break. She walked back into the room, ready to demonstrate magic.

Hours later, Hermione was done. She thought she had done passably in all tests, though in the Care of Magical Creatures practical, she had tripped and accidentally stepped forward before the hippogriff was through with his bow, and so she had been forced to begin again with earning his respect. She had really impressed the Ancient Runes proctor for the practical exam - when she was thrust into the third and final simulation, she used the mainly unstudied Mayan runes from the Central Americas to break into the cave and seal it behind her. When she exited the simulation, the proctor looked slightly stunned. She was exhausted by the end, and practically fell into the fire taking her back to the Burrow. She didn't even notice people asking her about how she did, and would later realize that she didn't remember the trek upstairs to her bed.

"Minerva, I just don't understand. No student has _ever_ done this, not even Albus himself!" Kingsley paced around the Headmistress' office.

"Well, there's never been a student like Hermione Granger," replied McGonagall with a slight tone of snobbishness in her voice.

"I know, but this? It is mad, Minerva!"

"Perhaps to you, who have only known Hermione for two years. But I, who have seen her grow from her first day, and who went to deliver her letter, know much better. She is extraordinary, she always has been." Minerva was decidedly proud and ready to stand by the girl no matter what, decided Kingsley.

"You're right, Minerva," chimed in Dumbledore from his portrait. "She is quite exceptional, and her NEWT scores represent precisely what I knew she had in her. Though I am a tad disappointed that my record has been beaten."

"How will we handle this?" asked Kingsley.

"As we would with any other scores. Send them to her, and let her make her own decisions." Minerva's voice was steady and decided.

Kingsley glanced around her to the portrait of Dumbledore, and upon receiving the normal twinkling eye with a slow nod, he finally relented. "I suppose you are right."

"Hermione!" called Mrs. Weasley. She was housing many more people than she was used to, so the volume of the house was already loud, but there was a dinner tonight with everyone to celebrate the end of the war and the return of lost loved ones.

"Yes?" shouted Hermione from the sitting room. Mrs. Weasley could barely hear her over the roar of the house.

"Come here, love!"

Hermione walked into the kitchen slowly. The kitchen was the only room not bursting with people, because Molly had snapped at everyone earlier and forced them out so she could cook in peace.

"Your scores are here, darling," Mrs. Weasley pointed to an envelope on the counter.

Hermione froze. She had been waiting impatiently for her results for almost two weeks, but now that they were here, she couldn't do it. She was terrified, and it took every single ounce of her Gryffindor courage to take the necessary three steps to the counter and to pick up the mail.

"Well, open it, dear!" exclaimed Molly.

And Hermione, closing her eyes, ripped open the letter.


	4. Brightest Witch of Her Age

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and not even all of that. Credit for the characters, places, etc. go to J.K. Rowling. Credit for the original idea goes to Bandgeek252, in addition to great thanks for being my steadfast bulwart and beta!

* * *

><p>"<em>Well, open it, dear!" exclaimed Molly.<em>

_And Hermione, closing her eyes, ripped open the letter._

"I can't look!" she exclaimed before her eyes darted to the parchment.

She noticed that at the top, there was a paragraph written to her, unlike the other NEWT score reports she had seen. She was so worried that the text would tell her that she had failed miserably, that she looked down immediately and found herself face-to-face with her scores.

Name: Granger, Hermione J

**Charms**

Multiple Choice - O

Essay - O

Practical - O+

_Overall_ - O+

**Transfiguration**

Multiple Choice - O

Essay - O+

Practical - O+

_Overall_ - O+

**Defense Against the Dark Arts**

Multiple Choice - O+

Essay - O+

Practical - O+

_Overall_ - O+

**Potions**

Multiple Choice - O

Essay - O

Practical - O

_Overall_ - O

**Herbology**

Multiple Choice - O

Essay - O

Practical - E

_Overall_ - O

**History of Magic**

Multiple Choice - O

Essay - O

_Overall_ - O

**Arithmancy**

Multiple Choice - O

Essay - O+

_Overall_ - O+

**Ancient Runes**

Multiple Choice - O

Essay - O

Practical - O+

_Overall_ - O+

**Muggle Studies**

Multiple Choice - O+

Essay - O+

_Overall_ - O+

**Care of Magical Creatures**

Multiple Choice - O

Essay - O

Practical - E

_Overall_ - O

_**Comments:**_

_Excellent job on that Mayan sealbreaker! Bill Weasley wouldn't have thought of that!_

Hermione felt on the edge of tears. She had done so much better than she had planned. She went to read the words at the top.

_Miss Granger,_

_The Ministry of Magic is proud to inform you that you have succeeded in obtaining the best NEWT scores in history, beating your predecessor, Albus Dumbledore by a fair amount. We extend our most sincere congratulations on this accomplishment and look forward to seeing all you achieve._

She couldn't believe it. She had thought she had done alright, but she hadn't even dreamt of doing so well. She handed the parchment to Molly, her mouth hanging open and the rest of her body refusing to move.

"Oh my," said Molly as she read the first score. "Oh my goodness! Merlin's staff of magic, this is amazing, Hermione!" Molly wrapped the still numb Hermione into a bear hug. "Oh! I'll have to make a cake for this! I am _so_ proud of you, Hermione." Molly took Hermione's face in her hands and smiled.

"Now, love, what kind of cake do you want?"

After Hermione escaped her shock, she and Molly decided not to tell anyone until Molly came out with the cake about her scores. Hermione put the parchment back in the envelope and tucked in safely in a book - she didn't want it to get wrinkled before she framed it. No one was surprised to see Hermione carrying around a large book, and she went largely unnoticed until dinner. James sat to her left, and Harry to her right. She had charmed fairy lights to float above the long picnic table and the scene was beautiful - a sunset with what looked like fireflies hovering above them as they ate what had to have been the most delicious food on the planet. Once everyone was finished, dusk was fading into a dark night with beautiful stars. Molly had made sure that no one was completely full, telling them a surprise dessert would be their reward for waiting. Of course, due to this, everyone around the table was talking about what magnificent treat Molly could have made.

Suddenly, Molly walked out of the house, levitating a giant cake onto the table. The cake was shaped like a book, and the chocolate frosting spelled Hermione Granger. Everyone around the table was seriously confused, of course.

"Um, Mum?" said Ginny. "Hermione's birthday isn't until September 19th. I remember, because there was that one year when Harry and Ron threw that little surprise party in the Room of Requirement."

"I know it isn't Hermione's birthday, dear," responded Molly.

"Then what's with the cake?" asked Ron.

"Hermione got her NEWT scores today," announced Molly. All eyes turned to Hermione. "She has just broken the record for the best NEWT scores ever with _six_ O+'s, and _four_ O's! She beat Albus!"

The table erupted into cheers for their friend. Hermione suddenly felt herself being passed around from person to person to hug. She would occasionally be able to identify who was hugging her at that moment, like when she heard Hagrid's gravelly voice, or Luna's silvery one. Finally she was pushed into the arms of none other than James Potter.

"Congratulations, Hermione," James whispered. He studied her eyes intently, and she felt slightly flattered, while at the same time quite confused. This man was her best friend's father! And, though she couldn't deny that he was quite attractive, it would be incredibly inappropriate!

"Cake time!" shouted Molly. Everyone rushed back to their seats, of course. A Molly Weasley cake was an experience only some were lucky to have. After Molly cut into the cake, it was revealed that it was a red velvet cake, Hermione's favorite, with cream cheese frosting. It was, as was always the way with Molly Weasley's cooking, absolutely delicious. Everyone was stuffed before they even realized how much cake they had eaten. And so, with everyone satisfactorily full and tired, the party disbanded, with its members either slowly and contentedly climbing the stairs or Apparating away.

The next morning, Hermione woke up feeling amazing. She glanced over to her window and noted how beautiful the day was. She listened for the sounds of other people, particularly her roommate's, but was glad to hear only the sounds of Molly getting ready to prepare breakfast. She grabbed her latest literary purchase and her favorite quilt and flounced down stairs in her light pajamas featuring elephants and a short robe. She gave Molly a quick hello on her way out to the garden where she had set up a little reading nook a few days prior. Under a slightly intimidating willow's branches, she had set a few candles around and had put up a lovely little reading swing, in addition to planting flowers around the base of the large tree. She had charmed the area to keep the larger, nastier bugs away, and to make sure the grass was soft. She laid out her blanket before opening up her newest conquest - a Muggle novel called _To Kill A Mockingbird_. From what she had heard, it was an excellent book and very interesting. It was apparently required reading in the United States, and she greatly anticipated reading it.

Before she knew it, she was neck-deep in the world of Scout and Atticus, and she was loving every moment. She was halfway through the book when her reverie was broken by Harry's calling for her to come in to breakfast. Hermione tucked the book and the blanket under her arm and began walking back to the Burrow, feeling incredibly content and optimistic for what the day would bring.

When she made it to the kitchen, Hermione was delighted to find a pile of letters with her name on each. She reasoned that the job applications she had sent out during sixth year would have been completed by the sending out of her NEWT scores and final marks. She sat down at the table and assembled a plate of different fruits before looking at the top letter. It was from Gringotts, where she had considered being a cursebreaker. After popping a bit of melon in her mouth, she opened the letter and smiled as she read the goblins' offer of a very prestigious place in the cursebreaking community. She set the letter aside, and ate a few raspberries as she went to open the next missive. From the Auror department, which she hadn't even applied to, asking her to join for their advanced training. Another, from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, offering her a position with a fast track to administration. And yet another, from the Department of Mysteries, which greatly intrigued her, as no one applied for the DoM, the Unspeakables just found who they wanted. The last letter was the one she was praying for. From the Advanced Healer Training Program at St. Mungo's, she was informed that she was accepted, and would be training for the second floor as well as the secretive lower levels. Hermione was ecstatic - only seasoned Healers with extensive experience were invited to work in the lower levels. She knew precisely what the answer would be, though all of her offers were required to wait until she was of the correct age, or the age she would have graduated from Hogwarts. After a while, Harry noticed Hermione staring at the parchment and asked, "What is it, Hermione?"

"I did it," she breathed.

"Did what?" asked Ginny. Hermione handed her the parchment without blinking.

"Sweet Circe, are you shitting me?!"

"Ginevra, watch your-" Molly began.

"No, Mum! Hermione got into the Advanced Healer Training Program, not only for the magical illnesses floor, but also for the _lower levels_!"

The table erupted with cheers. Harry hugged Hermione, shaking her out of her frozen state, and into a tear-filled one. Everything she had worked for, everything had lead up to this. She was absolutely the happiest girl in the world at that moment. And tomorrow, she would go to Australia.

A/N: Haha! Decided to give you a _super_ early update! I'm working on writing still, but I had this written and decided to post it to give you all some literary love! And to the lovely reviewer who asked if Severus came back (oh, you clever little thing) I mentioned him talking to Lily initially, and he's coming into play later in the story. Now, I'll finish up this AN and get to finishing up some chapters!


	5. To Remember

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and not even all of that. Credit for the setting, characters, and anything you recognize goes to the Divine Miss Joanne K Rowling. Shoutout to bandgeek for the amazing original idea, as well as being my person to bounce ideas off of.**_

**A/N: **_This chapter kind of bounces around, which will be a recurring theme through the story. I know that we've mainly been following Hermione around despite being in third person, but I plan on backing off from her quite a bit since she's off in Australia catching up with her parents. Also, review review review! Tell me if I did something great, if your favorite or non-favorite character was out of character! __**Special thanks to my dear friends, Spencer and Mikayla, for helping me make this chapter what it is.**_

**And now, I think I've rattled on enough! Onto the story!**

**With love, wonderwomanlovesyou221 aka Lindsay**

**Chapter 5 - **_**To Remember**_

"Hermione, please, take someone with you!"

"Harry, I told you, I'll be fine! I can take care of myself."

"I didn't mean to say that you couldn't, or that you need help or protection. I just think you should take someone, in case it gets too much, or..."

"I know, and I'll arrange a Portkey if I need it, I promise. I know you'll worry - I'm already quite concerned about how you and Ronald will get on without me to take care of you." Harry scoffed at Hermione's teasing.

Hermione lead Harry into a warm hug, laying her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around the bottom of his hips.

"Remember," said Hermione, sounding slightly more shaky and sniffly than usual and pulling back. "I'm only an owl away. And don't eat too much of Molly's treacle tart. And don't let Ron break his diet. And-"

"I know, I know, Hermione. Just, take care, okay?"

"Yes, yes. You too, okay?"

"Okay."

Hermione's feet landed on the carpet-covered cement of the portkey room with a thud. Her bags appeared after her in the designated area, and she went over to check them out. After a long wait to be cleared to leave, she exited into the airport and then out into the blazing heat that was the Land Down Under. She saw the bus stop she had been to over a year ago, and walked over, pulling out a barely used bus pass from her new, un-Undetectable-Extension-Charmed purse.

As she boarded the bus, she pulled out the miniature, pocket watch version of the Weasley clock she had been given at one of the celebrations before her departure. Lily had helped with the charms, so the work was impeccable, of course. She had even figured out an enchantment to make the hands the people Hermione cared most about, without Hermione having to change it. When she had gotten the pocket watch, she had watched with wonder as writing appeared on each of the elegant silver hands. Harry, Ron, Ginny, her mother, her father, and, surprisingly, Charlie. She blushed to herself, grateful her friends weren't around to see. Her time with Charlie had passed, but she still thought about him constantly. Their affair had lasted through the beginning of the summer before her sixth year until just after the end of the war. Hermione had needed definite time away, after dealing with everything. She remembered an icy night in a forest, after Ron had left them. She had met with Charlie about a hundred feet away from the tent, so she could still guard the area and be sure to keep Harry safe. One corner of her mouth flicked up about a centimeter, thinking about how she had reveled in escaping the crazy pressure and intensity of her life at the time, losing herself and her problems in their fervent kisses. Her expression sobered a bit, though, as she realized that she might have just been using Charlie as an escape at the time, and that perhaps the feelings the might have had were simply caused by the extreme conditions they were in. She frowned slightly at the thought, and remembered how different their relationship was at the beginning. It consisted mainly of stolen kisses, picnics by the pond, and sneaking to each other's rooms in the early hours of the morning just to hold each other. She realized that Harry's father actually younger than Charlie was now, and closer to her age. She and Charlie hadn't quite fretted too much over their age difference, but it was something that always gave Hermione slight pause. Why James had entered her thoughts, she didn't know, but her quiet reverie was ended as the bus stopped in the small suburban area she had left her parents in. She exited the bus, her bags shrunken, magically altered to weigh nothing, and stuffed in her purse.

She waited for all the Muggle pedestrians to turn away, pretending to dig in her purse, finally pulling out a sheet of paper and unfolding it. The map clearly showed the small suburban town she had set up the new lives for her parents in, with a large green circle over where her parents' new house was, and a small red arrow charmed to point to her current location. She figured out the easiest and fastest route to the home and began walking.

She looked down at her map again and exhaled slowly. The red arrow was pointing directly at the green circle - which meant she was in front of her parents' house. She knocked on the door tentatively, hoping her parents were home, as they usually tried to leave work by four. She gasped softly as she heard the light steps of her mother coming to the door. She recalled randomly that her mother had taken dance from the time she was twelve until she graduated secondary school. A smile flickered onto her face as her mother opened the door.

"Hello, can I help you?" her mother said with a polite tone.

"Monica Wilkins?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, have we met? You seem quite familiar."

"Is your husband home, by any chance?"

"Oh, yes, he's just in the kitchen," responded Mrs. Granger. She called to her husband, "Wendell!"

Hermione worked to keep tears from entering her eyes at the sight of both her parents, together and in front of her. She cleared the thick emotion from her throat, and began her carefully planned out speech.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins, my name is Hermione Granger, and I'm from the Australian Immigration Service. There seems to be some trouble with your case, and I'm just here to get things cleared up." Hermione pulled a badge out of the pocket of her blazer, which she had worn to convince her parents to let her into the house. "If you recall, I was your caseworker before, when you first came to Australia?" Both her parents nodded, assuming that was where the strange familiarity came from.

"Oh, of course. Come on in," Hermione's father gestured into the living room and asked her to take a seat on the comfortable armchair opposite the sofa. "What can we do to expedite this process?" Mr. Granger put his arm around his wife.

"You can not think I'm totally bonkers," muttered Hermione as she pulled out her wand from her purse.

"What the he-"

"_Reminiscor,_" said Hermione. She waited for the light of recognition to show in the eyes of her parents.

"Hermione?" said her mother.

"Mum?"

"Oh, my sweet girl!" Hermione ran over to her parents and collapsed into their arms.

"Mum, Dad, I've missed you so much!"

"I wonder how Hermione's doing," said Harry the next day as he and Ron walked outside to practice their Quidditch. Harry had gotten a letter the day before, informing him of his position as Head Boy and Gryffindor Quidditch captain. He wanted to work with his Keeper before the season, to build up Ron's confidence more than anything else.

"She's fine. Probably showing her parents her N.E.W.T.s by now."

Harry shoved Ron by the shoulder. "Hey, you know she's not like that."

"Yes, yes," groaned Ron. "'She's really quite modest, Ron,' 'I don't know how she does it, Ron,' 'She's so amazing, Ron.'"

Harry blushed, remembering the feelings he had confessed to his best friend about a year ago, after he and Ginny had broken up. He smiled at the memory of Ginny telling him to get his shit together and to figure out that he liked Hermione. This jump-started the understanding process. He had realized what an amazing girl she truly was even more in the past year, and was quite sad about her year-long holiday, though she assured she'd be back before graduation, and would come up for the final game of the House Cup tournament if Gryffindor made it.

"Oh, blimey, don't go staring off into space like that again."

"I'm not!" defended Harry. "I just..."

"I know," said Ron softly.

"And when I realized that she and your brother..."

"I know, mate. But, you know, that's over now. Maybe you have a chance!"

"No," sighed Harry. "I know she'll never see me as anything but her best friend. And though I think she's completely and totally brilliant, I know we wouldn't work out. I'm ready to settle down completely now. I mean, I'll still be in for having fun and all, but I've had my fill of adventure in this life. Plus, we all know I'm still scared shitless of her lest I piss her off. Damn, but that girl has talent."

"You can say that again."

"Yeah. But it's okay. I'm really lucky to have someone like her as my friend, and that's way more than enough for me, you know?" Ron nodded to Harry. "Anyway, we have practicing to do. Broom ready - play eight and two-fifths!"

Sirius paced anxiously around the room. "Damn it, Prongs, where the hell is she? What's taking them so long, it's such a simple task! What if she doesn't come back? Prongs, wha-"

"Padfoot, it's alright. His execution is scheduled for today, but we both know there can be complications, and he wasn't the first in the lineup for today. She'll be back any moment, alright? Calm down!"

Sirius mussed up his hair a bit, and looked at James expectantly. After a moment or so of waiting, he said with more than a bit of exasperation, "Well, how do I look?"

"Marvelous, as always, you silly dog," the woman stood in her heels that did nothing to stifle her extreme "vertical challenge," as she elected to call it. With her arms crossed and a smirk plastered across her face, Sirius was speechless, possibly for the first time in his life.

"Nice to see you, too, Marlene," said James, trying not to laugh at his ridiculous best friend.

"It's great to be back."

Remus knocked lightly on the Charms professor's office door before walking in.

"Lily?"

"Hey, Remus! This is so crazy - I completely forgot that the Charms and Defense classrooms were right next to each other!"

"Yeah," smiled the lycanthrope. He stared at her for a moment, and at her questioning look, blushed and looked away. "Sorry, Lily, I just missed seeing you, I guess. I'm still not used to being able to see you in front of me, I suppose."

"I missed you too, Moony," Lily smiled and walked away from the large bookcase she had been stocking to her friend. "I saw, you know, what happened once James and I were gone. I just... hated seeing you like that."

"It was hard, I'll admit. Not only losing my two best friends, but..." he trailed off.

"But?"

"You," Remus blurted. "I-I didn't say anything ever, because James, but I just-"

And Lily cut him off with a kiss. As she pulled back, she spoke with a mischievous smirk.

"Didn't you hear me, Remus? I missed you too."

**A/N: So, in order to enable you guys to envision these characters the best possible, because I haven't really gone into description, I'll put on some pictures of people I think resemble my idea of these characters.**

_Reminiscor - to remember (Latin)_

_**Hermione Granger - **_**Emma, of course! I do try not to mess with perfection you know.**

**P.S. Did anyone catch the reference to my favorite book in there? Also, sorry to any Harry/Hermione shippers. It hurt my soul to do, but... my muse made me do it?**


	6. Marlene McKinnon

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and not even all of that. Credit for the setting, characters, and anything you recognize goes to Actual Goddess Joanne K Rowling. Thank you to bandgeek for the original idea, and for many ideas after that event! Also, s/o to my grandma for listening to this chapter as kind of a rambling and giving me a "you're a great writer, Lindsay" speech to give me the confidence to post it!**_

**A/N:** I'm _so_ sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I kept trying to write it, but nothing would come. I finally sat down and just wrote the only thing I could think of and BLESS, it all came pouring out. I'm really happy about this chapter, and dfskdfjlsdkfjrestofauthorsnote

**Chapter 6 - **_**Marlene McKinnon**_

Marlene McKinnon was 1.51 metres (four feet, eleven and a half inches), and about 52 kilograms (115 lbs) of absolute attitude. Everything about her, from her black leather boots to her wavy dark brown hair, shouted danger. She had a devil-may-care smirk on her small face and an intricately detailed ring wound around her left ring finger, though the idea of her tying herself to another person for life was laughable. She had the air of a gypsy, wanderlust radiated off her, and it was quite clear that anything or anyone that tried to tie her down would fail miserably.

However, the minute she met eyes with Sirius Black, her smirk faded slowly faded into a beaming smile. Her eyes brightened, no longer filled with mischief, but warm with affection. Her smile completely disarmed the once ragged man, who now stood as he did at twenty, a rougueishly handsome face with slightly long, purposefully disheveled hair. His worn jeans and grey t-shirt didn't exactly highlight his physique, but they didn't hide it, either. He was stunned for a moment, and he and Marlene stood, drinking in each other's presence.

James Potter, however, felt extremely awkward. He focused on picking imaginary lint off his clothes while the romantic-comedy-esque scene played out in front of him. Finally, Sirius spoke.

"Marlene," he choked out.

"Wow, Padfoot, really eloquent," muttered James under his breath.

"Hi, Sirius," Marlene said, her russet colored eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Hey," smiled Sirius. It seemed to him an idiotic word to say after so long.

"Okay, not that I'm not totally ecstatic about being back, but could someone please explain how the hell it happened?" Marlene looked between James and Sirius, breaking eye contact with Sirius suddenly. Sirius's mouth and brain seemed to find a connection at long last, and he lurched into an explanation of Dumbledore's pheonix-magic.

After, James made sure Marlene didn't have any questions before clapping his best mate on the back and hugging his old friend, thinking that it might be best to leave them to some alone time. As he walked out of the room and through the school, he recalled one of the worst nights of his life, the night the original Order lost three of their best.

"_It was a false tip!" James called back to Sirius as he dueled with a masked Death Eater._

"_How in the bloody-"_

"_We have to fight, just enough to get out!" Mary McDonald's voice rang through the chaos to each Order member fighting in the large city square. "I've sent a Patronus to Dumbledore, he knows not to send anymore in!"_

"_Em! Behind you!" Marlene, between duels, called a warning to one of her three best friends. Since joining the Order, she, Mary, Emmeline Vance, and Lily had formed something similar to the Marauders. Emmeline heard Marlene's warning just in time. She spun around, stepping out of the way of a jet of royal blue light. Marlene fumed. She had only seen that curse once before, and though she didn't know what it was, she knew that it had stolen a member the week before, Hestia Jones, who she cared for quite a lot. That curse had Hestia begging for death for hours before she finally slipped away. Marlene charged over to cover Emmeline's back, and was immediately engaged in a duel with Dolohov, whose mask had fallen off earlier, courtesy of a rather nasty hex from Mary. She fought with precision, each stroke of her wand having the exact desired effect, and her speed was that of a viper. Each move was quick, unexpected, and she had Dolohov reeling in no time. She was, quite honestly, an incredibly talented duelist, and barely anyone stood a chance against her. She Stunned him and tied him up in one swift movement, Disarming him and tucking his wand in a pocket to be destroyed later in another. She turned and her friend had also finished with her opponent, who was now discovered to be a boy just out of Hogwarts, it seemed. She wouldn't let anyone know, but that hit her hard. A young boy, who was just corrupted and who would now probably die because he couldn't stop them from getting away. Suddenly, she was jerked out of her reverie from a scream._

"_NO!" She whipped around to face Emmeline and ask about what happened, but she saw before the words could form in her mouth. Mary, sweet, innocent, Mary, laid on the cold ground, her eyes reflecting the darkness above and her mouth slightly ajar. Her hair had fallen around her like a halo, and her chest didn't move. Marlene and Emmeline both raced over to her, and though Marlene searched and searched for a pulse, none came._

_Marlene was stunned, unlike Emmeline who was sobbing loudly, holding the cold hand of her best friend. Marlene had never cried. Not through the entire war, not when they lost other members, and she only shed one tear for her friend Hestia. Now, she found, her eyes had decided to catch up on lost time and pour water in rivers down her unmoving face. Marlene blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision as she pointed her wand at her friend and sent her lifeless body back to headquarters. She stood, helping up the still-sobbing Emmeline, and wiped the last tears from her face._

_Then she realized. The battle hadn't ended, the Death Eaters had retreated back into an ally, but she knew too well what happened when idiots were quiet. And then, out of a different ally than that the boys had pointed to, a jet of bright green light shot through the air, colliding within seconds of her seeing it into the back of her neighbor. She Disarmed the wizard within three seconds before whipping to see the body of her other friend. Suddenly, the tears evaporated. She was ready to kill. She stormed over to the ally the curse had come from, and pointed her wand directly at the head of the Death Eater. She smiled at him, and he shivered from the cold detachment in this woman's eyes. She then pulled his wand from behind her back and surprised him by shoving it in his mouth. She made sure the tip of the man's wand was against his tongue before whispering, "Engorgio." She pulled the stick out of his mouth and watched as his tongue got slowly bigger, choking him more and more with each second. However, she realized, as his face turned blue, that she refused to be one of the ruthless animals who murdered with ease, and no interruptions to their conscience. She ended the charm, instead opting for Stunning and binding the man with rope. She said a quiet, "Obliviate," before turning and walking back into the square. Sirius or James had already sent Emmeline's body back, and so she Stunned each and every Death Eater she saw before walking over to James and Sirius and helping them finish off their opponents._

"_We can go now," she whispered, and took Sirius's hand, letting him lead her to the apparition point, as this place had been warded when they got there._

"_Are you okay, Mar?" Sirius asked softly._

"_I..." she began. "No."_

"_I'm so sorry, love."_

"_It wasn't your fault. It's whoever gave us that faulty tip."_

"_We'll find them. I promise, okay? Until then, I'm here."_

"_Thanks, lo-"_

_Sirius had been looking ahead and was confused when he realized he was being pulled down by dead weight attached to his hand. He looked down and saw one of the sights he had been afraid of seeing since the beginning of the war: his girlfriend, spread on the ground, with the sparkle and happiness gone from her eyes, replaced with emptiness and a glassy reflection of the sky above. "No. No!" Sirius breathed, agony pumping through his veins, tears sliding down his face in rapid succession, and James ran over, pulling him off her, trying to get him to calm down. He sent Marlene's body back while Sirius had his hands over his eyes and pulled his best friend a few feet down the path before Apparating them back with her._

James shuddered as he remembered the lifeless Sirius that he knew for weeks after the incident. He thought of Lily's face when he had told her that she had lost her best friends, all in one fight, one stupid fight. Finally, he thought of the fact that they would never have to deal with something like that again, and smiled, shaking the memories away. They had a chance to live the lives that had been stolen from them, and he had no plans to waste it, which was why, once he was outside the school's limits, he Apparated to the entrance to the Ministry, and after reaching the correct level, walked up to a blonde receptionist with a winning smile, saying, "Hi, I'd like two applications to the Advanced Auror Training Program, please."


End file.
